Please note: The background picture on this page was taken when I was
stationed on theUSS Kitty Hawk in 1977-1978 in the Western Pacific.C. Jeff Dyrek, Webmaster.

Hey Shipmate, I just got a glimpse of your
website. I'm really impressed. How in the world do you handle
advertising for all these people. I'm just completing my website and get
about 60 unique visitors a day. How many visitors are needed to think
about advertising, is it worth it? Any advice? Anyway, keep up the good
work. You provide something great for all of us veterans. BTW, I was on
the USS Oriskany 67-68, and on the USS Hancock 68-69. I miss Olongapo,
what about you? Dennis LundClick Here's a website made by a
member of VA-163 "Saints" onboard the USS Oriskany CVA-34

This is the dramatic story of the 1967
fire on board the USS Forrestal, which broke out during its service
at Yankee Station off the coast of Vietnam. You'll read of (now
senator) John McCain's
narrow escape from death
and of the crew's struggle as it battled for days to extinguish
the fire - a struggle that in the end cost the lives of 134 men.

The USS Langley - which entered service in 1922 as the first American
aircraft carrier - through World War II battles at Midway, the Coral Sea, the Philippine Sea and North Africa, this book takes you through the design, development and operation of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers built prior to World War II

the Essex class carriers, which became renowned for their
"Sunday Punch" of 36 fighter planes, 36 dive bombers and 18 torpedo planes; the lighter Independence class

Lake Michigan's Aircraft Carriers

The story of the aircraft carriers USS Wolverine and USS Sable - the only fresh water, paddle-wheeled, coal-powered aircraft carriers in the world - which were based at Chicago's Navy Pier during WWII. At that time, the Navy needed to qualify pilots for aircraft carrier operations and since training stations in the Pacific and Atlantic would be prone to attack, it was decided to train the pilots on Lake Michigan.

key battles on land, at sea, and in the air at sites such as Singapore, Tarawa Atoll, Guadalcanal, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Midway, Kohima, Imphal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

While following pilots' firsthand reports of air strikes and dogfights across the Pacific, the author explores the U.S. Navy's critical transformation from its pre-war emphasis on battleships to its victory at Midway and beyond, when aircraft carriers brought an end to traditional naval warfare, though many in the public, the press, the Army, and even the president's inner circle refused to recognize it.

The USS America (CV-66), a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier that served from 1965 to 1996, aircraft including A-6 Intruders, E-2B Hawkeyes, F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets

the story of the second-in-class USS Macon (ZRS-5) rigid airship - which, along with her sister ship USS Akron (ZRS-4), was the largest helium-filled airship ever built - and its capability as a flying aircraft carrier, from her construction in the early 1930s through her 1933 launch and 1935 demise.

The story of the first-in-class USS Akron (ZRS-4) rigid airship - which, along with her sister ship USS Macon (ZRS-5), was the largest helium-filled airship ever built - and its capability as a U.S. Navy flying aircraft carrier, from her construction in the late 1920s through her experiments with aircraft launching and landing via trapeze and her 1933 demise.

Because of their large size and extreme mass, ground-handling U.S. Navy airships was a risky proposition that too-often resulted in damage to the ships and injury - or even death - to American sailors. the USS Los Angeles at Lakehurst, the USS Macon at Moffett Field, K ship ground handling, ZPG 2 handling with mechanical mules

>"Keep America First in the Air." The Story of the Airship features Army blimps including the spy-basket equipped TC-13, the semi-rigid RS-1 and the USS Macon. Blimps Go to Town highlights the Navy's entire 1937 airship fleet. Finally, Blimp Patrol, produced in Brazil, shows blimps in combat and rescue.

The decision to retain airships in the U.S. Navy following WWII returned old K-ships to duty and inspired development of the more capable tri-tail ZS2G-1
and the larger "Nan" generation, including the ZPN-1, the ZPG-2 and the ZPG-3W. See the triumphs and tragedies of these airships from 1945-1962 and also learn of current plans to return airships to Naval service.

U.S. Navy F9C Sparrowhawks practice their "takeoffs" and "landings" from the giant USS Akron and USS Macon airships, which were truly the aircraft carriers of the sky.

The USS Macon, the U.S. Navy's "aircraft carrier in the sky" is expertly detailed right down to the giant craft's gondola, engines and the F9C-2 Sparrowhawk hanging from the trapeze.

The 1920s saw bold innovations in aeronautics as the Europeans built a fleet of rigid airships. the story of how the United States tried to keep up, first by trying to purchase airships overseas then by building the USS Shenandoah, a copy of a German Zeppelin. Finally, war reparations enabled the U.S. to purchase the USS Los Angeles, the most successful U.S. airship, which served as an aeronautical test bed, observatory, naval scout and flying aircraft

In driving rain, a Fairey Swordfish - the Fleet Air Arms' premier
torpedo-bomber at the outbreak of World War II - prepares for takeoff from a Merchant aircraft carrier (MAC) to protect a North Atlantic convoy.

F-14A Tomcats from Fighter Squadron 2 (VF-2) - the "Bounty Hunters" from Miramar, California - surpass the speed of sound as they thunder by the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61).

Sopwith Camels, each carrying 250-pound bombs, take to the skies from HMS Furious - the first dedicated aircraft carrier in the world - on a raid against the German Zeppelin sheds at Tondern. Carried out on July 19, 1918, this was the first successful bombing raid ever to be launched from a carrier.

The Chance-Vought F4U Corsair was arguably the finest naval aviation
fighter of its era. With a kill ratio of 11-to-1 in WWII combat, the Corsair proved superior in the air to almost every opposing aircraft it encountered

Without Wings
NAZI German Aircraft Carrier
Softbound Book
The Story of Hitler's Aircraft Carrier
Burke. This book presents the complete history of Hitler's sole
aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin, which, at 861 feet, was the largest
ship ever built by Nazi Germany. You'll see her 1938 launch, her move to
the waters of occupied Poland for protection from Allied bombers, her
sinking in April, 1945, and the 2006 discovery of the wreck in the
Baltic Sea. 112 pages, B&W photographs, 6"x 9", softcover.

Philip West. This print depicts
the F-8E Crusader of Cmdr. Harold "Hal" Marr along with his wing man,
Lt.(JG) Phil Vampatella, as they make a high speed, low level victory
fly-by alongside the deck of the USS Hancock on June 12, 1966. The
Crusaders of VF-211, known as the Checkmates, achieved the admirable
record of being the highest scoring F-8 Squadron of the Vietnam War.
32"x 24" limited edition print is signed and numbered by the artist.

The Blue Devils
US Navy & Marine Corps
Aces of World War II
Styling & Tillman. When America plunged into war
after the attack on Pearl Harbor, naval aviators flying from Pacific
Fleet aircraft carriers held the line, later joined by their Marine
counterparts. The exploits of the Wildcat, Hellcat and Corsair aces are
detailed in this exhaustive volume combining Aircraft of the Aces
volumes 3, 8 and 10. 288 pages, 292 B&W photographs, 119 color
illustrations, 7"x 10", hardcover.

USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71
The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CNV-71) - a Nimitz-class supercarrier that was deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom in 2005, the last cruise for the F-14 Tomcat
- is the ultimate display of the famous "Big Stick."

Report From the Aleutians - DVD Movie
This John Huston epic World War II
documentary, filmed over six months, captures the lives of the soldiers
who manned the most remote outpost in the war: the Aleutian Islands in
the North Pacific. This Academy Award-nominated 1943 production captures
the bombings of this area as well as the loneliness of the troops.
Unusual scenes include B-24s and P-38s trying to operate under the
extremes of wind and rain. 58 minutes.
Bonus feature: Hook Down, Wheels Down, which combines
modern-day interviews and combat footage to tell the story of the U.S.
Navy's ungainly floating airfields, the aircraft carriers. 59 minutes.

The Unknown Battle of Midway
USS Enterprise
The Destruction of the
American Torpedo Squadrons
Kernan. "Kernan brings this maritime battle
superbly to life... Gripping." - The Wall Street Journal. The
1942 Battle of Midway is considered to be the greatest U.S. naval
victory of World War II - but behind the luster is the devastation of
the American torpedo squadrons. This book, written by an ordnance man
who served on the aircraft carrier Enterprise, examines the air assault
- including the sacrificial role of the torpedo squadrons - in riveting
detail. 208 pages, 22 B&W illustrations, 5"x 8", softcover.

Stricken 17 Mar 1997;
Towed to San Diego 5 January 2004 to be used as a museum and memorial.

March 21, 2003 -- The day is coming when Midway will begin her final
tour of duty on the South side of Navy Pier in San Diego.
She will mark San Diego's first major new visitor attraction in more
than 20 years. She'll serve as the cornerstone of the
revitalized North Embarcadero, the gateway to downtown.
She'll join the Star of India and other historic and visitor attractions
along the waterfront.

We are currently planning to begin towing this great ship to San
Diego from Bremerton Washington later this summer. She will stop on the
way and be spruced up for her debut in San Diego in Fall 2003!

In addition, our museum planning committee has completed its plan
for opening-day, exhibits, features and demonstrations. In support of
exhibits aircraft restoration is underway! Our first aircraft, an E-2C,
has been fully restored. Work is also underway on our A-7 and A-6.

We have also begun collecting photographs and cruise books for
exhibit aboard MIDWAY. If you would like to consider donating artifacts
to our collection, visit our Web site.

Stricken from Navy
List; In the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF),
Philadelphia, Penn. planned for scrapping, instead sunk in the Atlantic
Ocean off the Virginia coast on 14 May 2005, following a series of tests
consisting of simulated attacks on the ship.

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